Meaning & Origins

From Old French versions of the Arthurian legend, where the name is spelled Perceval. According to Chrétien de Troyes (12th century) and Wolfram von Eschenbach (c.1170–1220), Perceval (German Parzifal) was the perfectly pure and innocent knight who alone could succeed in the quest for the Holy Grail (a cup or bowl with supernatural powers, which in medieval legend was identified with the chalice that had received Christ's blood at the Crucifixion). Later versions of the Grail legend assign this role to Sir Galahad. The name Perceval probably represents a drastic remodelling of the Celtic name Peredur, as if from Old French perce(r) ‘pierce’ + val ‘valley’. This may well have been influenced by Percy, which was similarly analysed as a compound of perce(r) ‘pierce’ + haie ‘hedge’.